The countdown is on for Monday’s eclipse. While the moon will begin moving in front of the sun at 9:01 a.m. here on the North Coast, the event’s peak hits at 10:14 a.m. with 87 percent coverage, which will leave just a glowing crescent visible before the moon begins its slow retreat. Read previous Journal coverage […]
Science
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Booklegger Recalls Eclipse Glasses
Booklegger is asking customers who purchased solar eclipse glasses from the Old Town Eureka bookstore to return them for a full refund after finding out the glasses may not be from a certified manufacturer. In a recall notice sent out today, the store’s owners say they were notified of the possibility by Amazon on Aug. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Critters in the Water
The river is low enough now to wade upstream for miles without getting in over my knees. You have to be careful because the rocks are slippery with algae. The annual blue-green algae warnings are in effect and it is suggested you keep pets from drinking the water. A small camp towel is handy to […]
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Eclipse 2017: Humboldt Sits on a Partial Path of Totality
While we won’t get the full view, Humboldt County residents will still have some pretty good seats for one of the greatest celestial shows on earth when a total solar eclipse takes place Aug. 21. At the height of the event visible here on the North Coast — where the maximum coverage will hit around […]
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HumBug: Mythic Moths
Sunday night around 11:30 when I checked the light trap in my back yard, I was amazed to find a moth with a body as large as the first two sections of my finger and narrow wings like a hummingbird. I recognized it immediately as one of the Sphinx moths, although I didn’t recognize the […]
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HumBug: A Moth of Another Color
When I think the word “moth” I think of something gray. To be sure there are brightly colored day fliers, but the nocturnal majority are gray or brown, patterned to blend in with tree bark where they rest during the day. One of the things that makes moth identification challenging is that there are often […]
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HumBug: Ow! The Lady Stings
I usually discourage folks from bringing me insects since I do not actively collect, but when my son told me he had what he thought was a very fuzzy, wingless wasp, I was delighted. While it might not be politically correct to stereotype red heads as fiery, you might want to give this ginger girl […]
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HumBug: The Butterfly House
Scoping the North Coast Journal’s calendar, I noticed a post about the Butterfly House at the Humboldt Botanical Gardens. Of course I had to check that out. Just north of the College of the Redwoods campus, the botanical gardens are a nice place to while away a few hours among tidy, well-maintained flower beds. The butterfly […]
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HumBug: Butterfly vs. Spider
Some time ago, I mentioned in passing that butterflies and moths are covered with scales and fine hairs. They are easily dislodged and I theorized that these easily discarded structures might serve them as a release mechanism from sticky traps like a spider’s web. Last night I noticed a small cross orbweaver (Araneus diadematus) in […]
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HumBug: Dragon Hunting
On a recent stroll along my favorite section of the Van Duzen River, I saw about a dozen dragonflies of at least five species. I was able to get close enough to get photos of three individuals. Two of those were species I’d never seen before, the spot winged glider and the grappletail. The latter […]
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HumBug: Still in the Dark
Going out late at night allows me to see things many people might prefer not to. Lately, I’ve discovered several dwellers in the dark of which I was unaware. What appeared to be several good sized caterpillars munching on wild honeysuckle turned out to not be future moths at all, but sawfly larvae. Closely allied with […]
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Hello, My Name is: Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel
Say hello to Humboldt’s flying squirrel, formerly known as the northern flying squirrel. Look into his black, marble-like eyes. Look at them. Smaller and darker than the northern variety, with which they share some territory, these little gliders have just been classified as a new species and named for our county’s namesake, naturalist Alexander von […]